电磁脉冲辐照大鼠海马区细胞凋亡与形态学变化

以体外原代培养的大鼠海马神经元和Wistar大鼠为研究对象,探讨电磁脉冲(场强为6× 104 V/m)辐照后早期海马区细胞凋亡和病理形态学的变化.在照射后1h、6h、12h、24h和48h分别采用MTT法和流式细胞仪测定死亡细胞和凋亡细胞的比例,用光镜和电镜分别进行形态学观察.结果显示在电磁脉冲辐照后,海马神经细胞不仅发生快速的坏死,而且还发生凋亡,同时在早期即可见到血管、胶质细胞和神经元等组织的形态学异常.表明大鼠大脑受电磁脉冲辐照后早期海马区可发生神经细胞坏死和凋亡,以及各组织成分的病理形态学改变,上述变化可能与电磁脉冲致细胞DNA损伤有关.     

Inhibition of neurotransmitter release by peptides that mimic the N-terminal domain of SNAP-25

Botulinum neurotoxin serotypes A and E (BoNT/A and BoNT/E) block neurotransmitter release by cleaving the 206-amino-acid SNARE protein, SNAP-25. For each BoNT serotype, cleavage of SNAP-25 results in the loss of intact protein, the production of an N-terminal truncated protein, and the generation of a small C-terminal peptide. Peptides that mimic the C-terminal fragments of SNAP-25 following BoNT/A or BoNT/E cleavage were shown to depress transmitter release in bovine chromaffin cells and in Aplysia buccal ganglion cells. Similarly, the N-terminal–truncated SNAP-25 resulting from BoNT/A or BoNT/E cleavage has been found to inhibit transmitter exocytosis in various systems. With one exception, however, the inhibitory action of truncated SNAP-25 has not been demonstrated at a well-defined cholinergic synapse. The goal of the current study was to determine the level of inhibition of neurotransmitter release by N-terminal BoNT/A- or BoNT/E-truncated SNAP-25 in two different neuronal systems: cholinergically coupled Aplysia neurons and rat hippocampal cell cultures. Both truncated SNAP-25 products inhibited depolarization-dependent glutamate release from hippocampal cultures and depressed synaptic transmission in Aplysia buccal ganglion cells. These results suggest that truncated SNAP-25 can compete with endogenous SNAP-25 for binding with other SNARE proteins involved in transmitter release, thus inhibiting neurotransmitter exocytosis.     

Sendai virus vector-mediated gene transfer of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor prevents delayed neuronal death after transient global ischemia in gerbils.

We have developed a cytoplasmic replicating virus vector of Sendai virus (SeV) that infects and replicates in most mammalian cells, including neurons, and directs high-level gene expression. To investigate the protective effect of SeV vector-mediated gene transfer of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) on the delayed neuronal death caused by transient global ischemia in gerbils, SeV vectors carrying either GDNF (SeV/GDNF) or enhanced green fluorescent protein gene (SeV/GFP) were stereotaxically microinjected into the lateral ventricle. Four days after injection, occlusion of the bilateral common carotid arteries for 5 min produced transient global forebrain ischemia. Treatment with SeV/GDNF significantly decreased the delayed neuronal death of the hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons observed 6 days after the operation. TUNEL staining demonstrated that SeV/GDNF treatment markedly reduced the number of apoptotic cells in the hippocampal CA1 neurons, indicating that SeV/GDNF treatment prevented apoptosis. Furthermore, delayed neuronal death on the contralateral side of the hippocampal CA1 was also prevented to a similar extent as that on the ipsilateral side. These results suggest that SeV/GDNF prevents the delayed neuronal death induced by ischemia and is potentially useful for gene therapy for stroke.     

Down-regulation of ARC contributes to vulnerability of hippocampal neurons to ischemia/hypoxia

ARC is a caspase recruitment domain-containing molecule that plays an important role in the regulation of apoptosis. We examined ARC expression during neuronal cell death following ischemic injury in vivo and in vitro. After exposure to transient global ischemic conditions, the expression of ARC was substantially reduced in the CA1 region of hippocampus in a time-dependent manner with concomitant increase of TUNEL-positive cells. Quantitative analysis using Western blotting exhibited that most of ARC protein disappeared in the cultured hippocampal neurons exposed to hypoxia for 12 h and showing 60% cell viability. Forced expression of ARC in the primary cultures of hippocampal neurons or B103 neuronal cells significantly reduced hypoxia-induced cell death. Further, the C-terminal P/E rich region of ARC was effective to attenuate hypoxic insults. These results suggest that down-regulation of ARC expression in hippocampal neurons may contribute to neuronal death induced by ischemia/hypoxia.     

The SH2B1 adaptor protein associates with a proximal region of the erythropoietin receptor

Gene targeting experiments have shown that the cytokine erythropoietin (EPO), its cognate erythropoietin receptor (EPO-R), and associated Janus tyrosine kinase, JAK2, are all essential for erythropoiesis. Structural-functional and murine knock-in experiments have suggested that EPO-R Tyr-343 is important in EPO-mediated mitogenesis. Although Stat5 binds to EPO-R phosphotyrosine 343, the initial Stat5-deficient mice did not have profound erythroid abnormalities suggesting that additional Src homology 2 (SH2) domain-containing effectors may bind to EPO-R Tyr-343 and couple to downstream signaling pathways. We have utilized cloning of ligand target (COLT) screening to demonstrate that EPO-R Tyr(P)-343 and Tyr(P)-401 bind to the SH2 domain-containing adaptor protein SH2B1β. Immunoprecipitation and in vitro mixing experiments reveal that EPO-R binds to SH2B1 in an SH2 domain-dependent manner and that the sequence that confers SH2B1 binding to the EPO-R is pYXXL. Previous studies have shown that SH2B1 binds directly to JAK2, but we show that in hematopoietic cells, SH2B1β preferentially associates with the EPO-R. SH2B1 is capable of constitutive association with EPO-R, which is necessary for its optimal SH2-dependent recruitment to EPO-R-Tyr(P)-343/Tyr(P)-401. We also demonstrate that SH2B1 is responsive to EPO stimulation and becomes phosphorylated, most likely on serines/threonines, in an EPO dose- and time-dependent manner. In the absence of SH2B1, we observe enhanced activation of signaling pathways downstream of the EPO-R, indicating that SH2B1 is a negative regulator of EPO signaling.     

In vivo neuroprotective role of NMDA receptors against kainate-induced excitotoxicity in murine hippocampal pyramidal neurons

Activation of NMDA receptors has been shown to induce either neuronal cell death or neuroprotection against excitotoxicity in cultured cerebellar granule neurons in vitro. We have investigated the effects of pretreatment with NMDA on kainate-induced neuronal cell death in mouse hippocampus in vivo. The systemic administration of kainate (30 mg/kg), but not NMDA (100 mg/kg), induced severe damage in pyramidal neurons of the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 subfields 3-7 days later, without affecting granule neurons in the dentate gyrus. An immunohistochemical study using an anti-single-stranded DNA antibody and TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling analysis both revealed that kainate, but not NMDA, induced DNA fragmentation in the CA1 and CA3 pyramidal neurons 1-3 days after administration. Kainate-induced neuronal loss was completely prevented by the systemic administration of NMDA (100 mg/kg) 1 h to 1 day previously. No pyramidal neuron was seen with fragmented DNA in the hippocampus of animals injected with kainate 1 day after NMDA treatment. The neuroprotection mediated by NMDA was prevented by the non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801. Taken together these results indicate that in vivo activation of NMDA receptors is capable of protecting against kainate-induced neuronal damage through blockade of DNA fragmentation in murine hippocampus.     

Bilobalide, a component of the Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761), protects against neuronal death in global brain ischemia and in glutamate-induced excitotoxicity.

In this study, the effect of bilobalide, a purified terpene lactone component of the Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761), and EGb 761 against ischemic injury and against glutamate-induced excitotoxic neuronal death was compared. In the case of ischemic injury, neuronal loss and the levels of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-encoded cytochrome oxidase (COX) subunit III mRNA in the hippocampal regions of gerbils was measured. A significant increase in neuronal death and a significant decrease in COX III mRNA were observed in the hippocampal CA1 neurons at 7-days of reperfusion after 5 min of transient global forebrain ischemia. Oral administration of EGb 761 at 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg/day and bilobalide at 3 and 6 mg/kg/day for 7 days before ischemia progressively protected hippocampal CA1 neurons against ischemia-induced neuronal death and reductions in COX III mRNA. In rat cerebellar neuronal cultures, addition of bilobalide or EGb 761 protected in a dose-dependent manner against glutamate-induced excitotoxic neuronal death [effective concentration (EC50) = 5 microg/ml (12 microM) forbilobalide and 100 microg/ml for EGb 761]. These results suggest thatboth EGb 761 and bilobalide protect against ischemia-induced neuronal death in vivo and glutamate-induced neuronal death in vitro by synergistic mechanisms involving anti-excitotoxicity, inhibition of free radical generation, scavenging of reactive oxygen species, and regulation of mitochondrial gene expression.     

Activity of adenosine receptors type 1 Is required for CX3CL1-mediated neuroprotection and neuromodulation in hippocampal neurons

The chemokine fractalkine (CX(3)CL1) is constitutively expressed by central neurons, regulating microglial responses including chemotaxis, activation, and toxicity. Through the activation of its own specific receptor, CX(3)CR1, CX(3)CL1 exerts both neuroprotection against glutamate (Glu) toxicity and neuromodulation of the glutamatergic synaptic transmission in hippocampal neurons. Using cultured hippocampal neuronal cell preparations, obtained from CX(3)CR1(-/-) (CX(3)CR1(GFP/GFP)) mice, we report that these same effects are mimicked by exposing neurons to a medium conditioned with CX(3)CL1-treated mouse microglial cell line BV2 (BV2-st medium). Furthermore, CX(3)CL1-induced neuroprotection from Glu toxicity is mediated through the adenosine receptor 1 (AR(1)), being blocked by neuronal cell preparations treatment with 1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine (DPCPX), a specific inhibitor of AR(1), and mimicked by both adenosine and the specific AR(1) agonist 2-chloro-N(6)-cyclopentyladenosine. Similarly, experiments from whole-cell patch-clamped hippocampal neurons in culture, obtained from CX(3)CR1(+/+) mice, show that CX(3)CL1-induced depression of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid- (AMPA-) type Glu receptor-mediated current (AMPA-current), is associated with AR(1) activity being blocked by DPCPX and mimicked by adenosine. Furthermore, BV2-st medium induced a similar AMPA-current depression in CX(3)CR1(GFP/GFP) hippocampal neurons and this depression was again blocked by DPCPX. We also report that CX(3)CL1 induced a significant release of adenosine from microglial BV2 cells, as measured by HPLC analysis. We demonstrate that (i) CX(3)CL1, along with AR(1), are critical players for counteracting Glu-mediated neurotoxicity in the brain and (ii) AR(1) mediates neuromodulatory action of CX(3)CL1 on hippocampal neurons.     

Taurine and neural cell damage

Summary. The inhibitory amino acid taurine is an osmoregulator and neuromodulator, also exerting neuroprotective actions in neural tissue. We review now the involvement of taurine in neuron-damaging conditions, including hypoxia, hypoglycemia, ischemia, oxidative stress, and the presence of free radicals, metabolic poisons and an excess of ammonia. The brain concentration of taurine is increased in several models of ischemic injury in vivo. Cell-damaging conditions which perturb the oxidative metabolism needed for active transport across cell membranes generally reduce taurine uptake in vitro, immature brain tissue being more tolerant to the lack of oxygen. In ischemia nonsaturable diffusion increases considerably. Both basal and K⁺-stimulated release of taurine in the hippocampus in vitro is markedly enhanced under cell-damaging conditions, ischemia, free radicals and metabolic poisons being the most potent. Hypoxia, hypoglycemia, ischemia, free radicals and oxidative stress also increase the initial basal release of taurine in cerebellar granule neurons, while the release is only moderately enhanced in hypoxia and ischemia in cerebral cortical astrocytes. The taurine release induced by ischemia is for the most part Ca²⁺-independent, a Ca²⁺-dependent mechanism being discernible only in hippocampal slices from developing mice. Moreover, a considerable portion of hippocampal taurine release in ischemia is mediated by the reversal of Na⁺-dependent transporters. The enhanced release in adults may comprise a swelling-induced component through Cl⁻ channels, which is not discernible in developing mice. Excitotoxic concentrations of glutamate also potentiate taurine release in mouse hippocampal slices. The ability of ionotropic glutamate receptor agonists to evoke taurine release varies under different cell-damaging conditions, the N-methyl-D-aspartate-evoked release being clearly receptor-mediated in ischemia. Neurotoxic ammonia has been shown to provoke taurine release from different brain preparations, indicating that the ammonia-induced release may modify neuronal excitability in hyperammonic conditions. Taurine released simultaneously with an excess of excitatory amino acids in the hippocampus under ischemic and other neuron-damaging conditions may constitute an important protective mechanism against excitotoxicity, counteracting the harmful effects which lead to neuronal death. The release of taurine may prevent excitation from reaching neurotoxic levels. Received January 25, 2000/Accepted January 31, 2000     

The sensitivity of catecholamine release to botulinum toxin C1 and E suggests selective targeting of vesicles set into the readily releasable pool

The impact of syntaxin and SNAP-25 cleavage on [3H]noradrenaline ([3H]NA) and [3H]dopamine ([3H]DA) exocytotic release evoked by different stimuli was studied in superfused rat synaptosomes. The external Ca2+-dependent K+-induced [3H]catecholamine overflows were almost totally abolished by botulinum toxin C1 (BoNT/C1), which hydrolyses syntaxin and SNAP-25, or by botulinum toxin E (BoNT/E), selective for SNAP-25. BoNT/C1 cleaved 25% of total syntaxin and 40% of SNAP-25; BoNT/E cleaved 40% of SNAP-25 but left syntaxin intact. The GABA uptake-induced releases of [3H]NA and [3H]DA were differentially affected: both toxins blocked the former, dependent on external Ca2+, but not the latter, internal Ca2+-dependent. BoNT/C1 or BoNT/E only slightly reduced the ionomycin-evoked [3H]catecholamine release. More precisely, [3H]NA exocytosis induced by ionomycin was sensitive to toxins in the early phase of release but not later. The Ca2+-independent [3H]NA exocytosis evoked by hypertonic sucrose, thought to release from the readily releasable pool (RRP) of vesicles, was significantly reduced by BoNT/C1. Pre-treating synaptosomes with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate, to increase the RRP, enhanced the sensitivity to BoNT/C1 of [3H]NA release elicited by sucrose or ionomycin. Accordingly, cleavage of syntaxin was augmented by the phorbol-ester. To conclude, our results suggest that clostridial toxins selectively target exocytosis involving vesicles set into the RRP.     

Axon degeneration is key component of neuronal death in amyloid-β toxicity

Depending upon the stimulus, neuronal cell death can either be triggered from the cell body (soma) or the axon. We investigated the origin of the degeneration signal in amyloid β (Aβ) induced neuronal cell death in cultured in vitro hippocampal neurons. We discovered that Aβ_1–42 toxicity-induced axon degeneration precedes cell death in hippocampal neurons. Overexpression of Bcl-xl inhibited both axonal and cell body degeneration in the Aβ-42 treated neurons. Nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase 1 (Nmnat1) blocks axon degeneration in a variety of paradigms, but it cannot block neuronal cell body death. Therefore, if the neuronal death signals in Aβ_1–42 toxicity originate from degenerating axons, we should be able to block neuronal death by inhibiting axon degeneration. To explore this possibility we over-expressed Nmnat1 in hippocampal neurons. We found that inhibition of axon degeneration in Aβ_1–42 treated neurons prevented neuronal cell death. Thus, we conclude that axon degeneration is the key component of Aβ_1–42 induced neuronal degeneration, and therapies targeting axonal protection can be important in finding a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.     

High expression of GLT-1 in hippocampal CA3 and dentate gyrus subfields contributes to their inherent resistance to ischemia in rats

It is well known that neurons in the CA3 and dentate gyrus (DG) subfields of the hippocampus are resistant to short period of ischemia which is usually lethal to pyramidal neurons in hippocampal CA1 subfield. The present study was undertaken to clarify whether the inherent higher resistance of neurons in CA3 and DG to ischemia is associated with glial glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) in rats. Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry assay showed that the basal expressions of GLT-1 in both CA3 and DG were much higher than that in CA1 subfield. Mild global brain ischemia for 8 min induced delayed death of almost all CA1 pyramidal neurons and marked GLT-1 down-regulation in the CA1 subfield, but it was not lethal to the neurons in either CA3 or DG and induced GLT-1 up-regulation and astrocyte activation showed normal soma and aplenty slender processes in the both areas. When the global brain ischemia was prolonged to 25 min, neuronal death was clearly observed in CA3 and DG accompanied with down-regulation of GLT-1 expression and abnormal astrocytes represented with hypertrophic somas, but shortened processes. After down-regulating of GLT-1 expression and function by its antisense oligodeoxynucleotides or inhibiting GLT-1 function by dihydrokainate, an inhibitor of GLT-1, the mild global brain ischemia for 8 min, which usually was not lethal to CA3 and DG neurons, induced the neuronal death in CA3 and DG subfields. Taken together, the higher expression of GLT-1 in the CA3 and DG contributes to their inherent resistance to ischemia.     

Coupling between NMDA receptor and acid-sensing ion channel contributes to ischemic neuronal death

Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) composed of ASIC1a subunit exhibit a high Ca(2+) permeability and play important roles in synaptic plasticity and acid-induced cell death. Here, we show that ischemia enhances ASIC currents through the phosphorylation at Ser478 and Ser479 of ASIC1a, leading to exacerbated ischemic cell death. The phosphorylation is catalyzed by Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) activity, as a result of activation of NR2B-containing N-methyl-D-aspartate subtype of glutamate receptors (NMDARs) during ischemia. Furthermore, NR2B-specific antagonist, CaMKII inhibitor, or overexpression of mutated form of ASIC1a with Ser478 or Ser479 replaced by alanine (ASIC1a-S478A, ASIC1a-S479A) in cultured hippocampal neurons prevented ischemia-induced enhancement of ASIC currents, cytoplasmic Ca(2+) elevation, as well as neuronal death. Thus, NMDAR-CaMKII cascade is functionally coupled to ASICs and contributes to acidotoxicity during ischemia. Specific blockade of NMDAR/CaMKII-ASIC coupling may reduce neuronal death after ischemia and other pathological conditions involving excessive glutamate release and acidosis.     

Endogenously released DOPA is a causal factor for glutamate release and resultant delayed neuronal cell death by transient ischemia in rat striata

Glutamate is implicated in neuronal cell death. Exogenously applied DOPA by itself releases neuronal glutamate and causes neuronal cell death in in vitro striatal systems. Herein, we attempt to clarify whether endogenous DOPA is released by 10 min transient ischemia due to four-vessel occlusion during rat striatal microdialysis and, further, whether DOPA, when released, functions to cause glutamate release and resultant delayed neuronal cell death. Ischemia increased extracellular DOPA, dopamine, and glutamate, and elicited neuronal cell death 96 h after ischemic insult. Inhibition of striatal L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase 10 min before ischemia increased markedly basal DOPA, tripled glutamate release with a tendency of decrease in dopamine release by ischemia, and exaggerated neuronal cell death. Intrastriatal perfusion of 10-30 nM DOPA cyclohexyl ester, a competitive DOPA antagonist, 10 min before ischemia, concentration-dependently decreased glutamate release without modification of dopamine release by ischemia. At 100 nM, the antagonist elicited a slight ceiling effect on decreases in glutamate release by ischemia and protected neurons from cell death. Glutamate was released concentration-dependently by intrastriatal perfusion of 0.3-1 mM DOPA and stereoselectively by 0.6 mM DOPA. The antagonist elicited no hypothermia during and after ischemia. Endogenously released DOPA is an upstream causal factor for glutamate release and resultant delayed neuronal cell death by brain ischemia in rat striata. DOPA antagonist has a neuroprotective action.     

The critical role of calpain versus caspase activation in excitotoxic injury induced by nitric oxide

The pathogenesis of various acute and chronic neurodegenerative disorders has been linked to excitotoxic processes and excess generation of nitric oxide. We investigated the deleterious effects of calpain activation in nitric oxide-elicited neuronal apoptosis. In this model, nitric oxide triggers apoptosis of murine cerebellar granule cells by an excitotoxic mechanism requiring glutamate exocytosis and receptor-mediated intracellular calcium overload. Here, we found that calcium-dependent cysteine proteases, calpains, were activated early in apoptosis of cerebellar granule cells exposed to nitric oxide. Release of the proapoptogenic factors cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor from mitochondria preceded neuronal death. However, caspases-3 was not activated. We observed that procaspase-9 was cleaved by calpains to proteolytically inactive fragments. Inhibition of calpains by different synthetic calpain inhibitors or by adenovirally mediated expression of the calpastatin inhibitory domain prevented mitochondrial release of cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor, calpain-specific proteolysis and neuronal apoptosis. We conclude that (i) signal transduction pathways exist that prevent the entry of neurons into a caspase-dependent death after mitochondrial release of cytochrome c and (ii) that calpain activation links nitric oxide-triggered excitotoxic events with the execution of caspase-independent apoptosis in neurons.     

Bradykinin Postconditioning Protects Pyramidal CA1 Neurons Against Delayed Neuronal Death in Rat Hippocampus

Aims The present study was undertaken to evaluate possible neuroprotective effect of bradykinin against delayed neuronal death in hippocampal CA1 neurons if applied two days after transient forebrain ischemia in the rat. Methods Transient forebrain ischemia was induced in male Wistar rats by four-vessel occlusion for 8 min. To assess efficacy of bradykinin as a new stressor for delayed postconditioning we used two experimental groups of animals: ischemia 8 min and 3 days of survival, and ischemia 8 min and 3 days of survival with i.p. injection of bradykinin (150 μg/kg) applied 48 h after ischemia. Results We found extensive neuronal degeneration in the CA1 region at day 3 after ischemia/reperfusion. The postischemic neurodegeneration was preceded by increased activity of mitochondrial enzyme MnSOD in cytoplasm, indicating release of MnSOD from mitochondria in the process of delayed neuronal death. Increased cytosolic cytochrome c and subsequently caspase-3 activation are additional signs of neuronal death via the mitochondrial pathway. Bradykinin administration significantly attenuated ischemia-induced neuronal death, and also suppressed the release of MnSOD, and cytochrome c, and prevented caspase-3 activation. Conclusions Bradykinin can be used as an effective stressor able to prevent mitochondrial failure leading to apoptosis-like delayed neuronal death in postischemic rat hippocampus.     

Choline release and inhibition of phosphatidylcholine synthesis precede excitotoxic neuronal death but not neurotoxicity induced by serum deprivation

N-Methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor overactivation has been proposed to induce excitotoxic neuronal death by enhancing membrane phospholipid degradation. In previous studies, we have shown that NMDA releases choline and reduces membrane phosphatidylcholine in vivo. We now observed that glutamate and NMDA induce choline release in primary neuronal cortical cell cultures. This effect is Ca(2+)-dependent and is blocked by MK-801 ((+)-5-methyl-10, 11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine hydrogen maleate). In cortical neurons, the NMDA receptor-mediated choline release precedes excitotoxic cell death but not neuronal death induced by either osmotic lysis or serum deprivation. Glutamate, at concentrations that release arachidonic acid, does not release choline in cerebellar granule cells, unless these cells are rendered susceptible to excitotoxic death by energy deprivation. The NMDA-evoked release of choline is not mediated by phospholipases A(2) or C. Moreover, NMDA does not activate phospholipase D in cortical cells. However, NMDA inhibits incorporation of [methyl-(3)H]choline into both membrane phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin. These results show that the increase in extracellular choline induced by NMDA receptor activation is directly related with excitotoxic cell death and indicate that choline release is an early event of the excitotoxic process produced by inhibition of phosphatidylcholine synthesis and not by activation of membrane phospholipid degradation.     

Nerve growth factor-induced p75-mediated death of cultured hippocampal neurons is age-dependent and transduced through ceramide generated by neutral sphingomyelinase.

Binding of nerve growth factor (NGF) to the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75) in cultured hippocampal neurons has been reported to cause seemingly contrasting effects, namely ceramide-dependent axonal outgrowth of freshly plated neurons, versus Jun kinase (Jnk)-dependent cell death in older neurons. We now show that the apoptotic effects of NGF in hippocampal neurons are observed only from the 2nd day of culture onward. This switch in the effect of NGF is correlated with an increase in p75 expression levels and increasing levels of ceramide generation as the cultures mature. NGF application to neuronal cultures from p75(exonIII-/-) mice had no effect on ceramide levels and did not affect neuronal viability. The neutral sphingomyelinase inhibitor, scyphostatin, inhibited NGF-induced ceramide generation and neuronal death, whereas hippocampal neurons cultured from acid sphingomyelinase(-/-) mice were as susceptible to NGF-induced death as wild type neurons. The acid ceramidase inhibitor, (1S,2R)-d-erythro-2-(N-myristoylamino)-1-phenyl-1-propanol, enhanced cell death, supporting a role for ceramide itself and not a downstream lipid metabolite. Finally, scyphostatin inhibited NGF-induced Jnk phosphorylation in hippocampal neurons. These data indicate an initiating role of ceramide generated by neutral sphingomyelinase in the diverse neuronal responses induced by binding of neurotrophins to p75.